Team Sunweb signs WA young guns Jai Hindley and Michael Storer

Team Sunweb has recruited WA young guns Jai Hindley and Michael Storer, backing them as potential general classification contenders.

The German pro outfit signed Hindley, 21, for three years and Storer, 20, for two, starting in January.

The duo rode with Orica-Scott feeder team Mitchelton-Scott this year and were this week named in the Australian under-23 team for this month’s world championships in Bergen, Norway. Both showed promise at the recent Tour de l’Avenir in France — a key event for under-23 riders looking to step up to professional teams.

Mindarie-raised Hindley, who first raced in Europe at 15, said Team Sunweb approached him after he finished second in this year’s Herald Sun Tour.

The young rider was second overall at the 2016 An Post Ras, third at the Oceania Championships road race and third at the under-23 Giro Ciclistico d’Italia.

He said though it would have made sense to join Australian pro tour team Orica-Scott, he believed he would be a better fit at Sunweb — the team of 2017 Tour de France green jersey winner Michael Matthews.

“What Sunweb were putting on the table stood out to me — what they wanted with me seemed like a good fit and it’s something different,” he said.

“There are already a few young climbers at Orica.”

Storer, born in Sydney and raised in Joondalup, was selected for his all-round ability.

The 20-year-old is a strong time triallist, finishing third at the Oceania Championships under-23 time trial in 2016 and third at the Australian under-23 time trial this year. In 2016, he won Italian one-day race Gran Premio di Poggiana and placed seventh at the Tour de l’Avenir where Hindley placed fifth.

Storer has been racing with Hindley since he was 12 and is glad his hard work has paid off.

“It’s pretty significant,” he said. “When I was 16 and 17 I felt like a long way off but as I got older I got closer and thought ‘this could actually happen’.”

Team Sunweb coach Marc Reef said both riders had upside.

“We see a lot of potential for (Jai) as a climber and as a future GC hopeful,” he said.

Reef said Storer was already a complete rider who was “potentially able to go for the GC in the future”.